The Hongqiao Import Exhibition and Trade Center in Shanghai is devoting this afternoon to the promotion of sales of Brazilian coffee in China, the Shine website reports.

The programme for the observance of Brazil Coffee Nation Day at the centre includes a session for matching Brazilian sellers and Chinese buyers, according to a report posted on the Chinese state-run website on Wednesday.

Also on the programme are tastings of special kinds of coffee, and free classes of instruction for baristas, the report says.

This year is the 30th since the foundation of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association, a non-profit body which sets standards for Brazilian coffee producers and seeks to add value to their output, the Shine website says.

Data collected by the Brazilian Council of Coffee Exporters show China bought 280,368 bags of Brazilian coffee in the first 10 months of this year, having bought just 187,638 in the whole of last year.